Don't go away, I will stay for you
by Rie Sonomura
Summary: "What miracle will it take to see you again...?" Snake/Samus fluffy oneshot. Inspired by the song "The way" from the Xenoblade Chronicles X OST.


**long time no see my dudes**

 **Sooooo imma make this brief: I plan to revisit my multi chapter Falconcina fic real soon, but I'm gonna revise quite a few things, and I'm waiting for a certain character I'm confident will be a newcomer to be revealed. In the meantime, I'm just gonna throw out a few oneshots. And my "an ordinary day in smash city" compilation has been scrapped, I'll rename the fic to Training Exercise (my Pit/Samus friendship one) and edit some things in the story itself accordingly. And this one has a couple plot elements to be introduced when I continue my Falconcina fic.**

 **This here is a Snakus (Snake/Samus) fic set a few months before the 5th Smash tournament is announced (a euphemism for Smash Ultimate). The fic is slightly inspired by the song "The way" from Xenoblade Chronicles X. And in case you can't tell, Elma's the newcomer I want the most lmao**

 **Hope you guys enjoy. Also as a note, Corrin is Female Corrin, and Kamui is Male Corrin.**

* * *

 _ **Don't go away, I will stay for you**_

"It's been three years since you left..." Samus murmured, taking the elevator down from her apartment in Smash Tower, her solemn eyes fixed on the skyline through the glass walls. Dark clouds hung in the sky in the distance, and a faint rumble of thunder echoed from afar.

Indeed, it had been so long since Solid Snake left Smash City. The Ice Climbers and Wolf had to head home to their respective worlds too, but in return, some new faces had joined. Their names were Cloud Strife, Corrin, Kamui, and Bayonetta. The redone 4th Smash Tournament was largely a success, and she placed fairly high in the final rankings, but to her, the victory felt empty without a certain someone cheering her on.

When she and Snake met almost ten years ago, the connection was almost instantaneous. Two people who were practically raised on the battlefield, with their own scars, fears, dreams, things that drove them. When she overheard Snake saying via a codec call, "She sounds like my kind of woman", she asked him out for the first time, and from there, their relationship began to bloom. For a good several years, they were the "star couple" of Smash City. That is, until the fourth Smash Tournament was approaching and his future in Smash City grew more and more uncertain until he was informed he wasn't selected for the tournament due to extraneous circumstances.

During this time, her closest friend, a man she knew since the first tournament and a bounty hunter much like herself, would provide her with advice and emotional support, but shortly before the 4th tournament was rebooted following an incident, he headed outside of Smash City to assist one of the newcomers, a young woman versed in swordfighting, with her training, as she sought to become stronger after the incident. Time would pass slower off world than it would in Smash City, so even though a few weeks have passed off world, several months have passed in Smash City. His last message to her via email was:

"Hey Samus, I'm afraid something has come up, so Lucina and I may be gone a little while longer. Don't worry about me, I'm fine. I'll do my best to make sure she's fine too. I don't doubt her ability to take care of herself, but after what happened between us, I want to make sure she's alright. Just...hold tight until then, yeah? Take care of yourself. - Captain Falcon"

It had been nearly a month since that message.

Today, Master Hand was holding a special event in Smash City's Town Square, and it was mandatory for every Smasher to attend, with the exception of the two Smashers currently training off world. It was noon, and the sun shone brightly in the sky.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Master Hand's voice echoed from atop the stage throughout the town square. "I have an exciting announcement to make!" Everyone looked on with a look of anticipation, save for Samus, who looked down slightly as she thought, _I know I should be as excited as everyone else here...but why can't I shake the feeling that something's still missing...? Or rather, some_ one _?_ Pit, who was a short distance across from her, briefly glanced at her with a concerned look.

"We've already begun planning for the 5th official Smash Bros. Tournament, and we've got someone we'd like to introduce you all to!"

 _Could it be...?_ Samus immediately looked up in the direction of the stage, a small glimmer of hope forming in her soul.

"Introducing...the Inklings!" Upbeat music blared from the onstage speakers as streams of blue and orange ink covered the stage, and two cartoonish squids emerged, a blue one from the blue stream, and an orange one from the orange stream of ink. Within a few seconds, the squids changed shape into humanoid forms that looked like, respectively, a boy and girl in their early teens. The two struck a pose as confetti rained down on the crowd. Everyone was cheering and applauding — everyone except, once again, a certain blonde bounty huntress.

"How silly of me..." Samus murmured, looking down once more. "I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up like that."

"We will inform you of any updates as they happen," Master Hand announced. "Until then, have a nice day, Smashers, and welcome our newest addition to Smash City!"

As Master Hand floated away into the distance, the majority of the Smashers ran up to the Inklings to greet them, while a few, including Samus, decided to grab some lunch.

...

After grabbing her serving of shrimp fried rice and bottled soda, Samus looked for a place to sit in the food court, and found a two-seat booth. Before chowing down, she pulled out her smartphone to see if she had received any messages at all.

"...Nothing, as usual," she sighed before putting it away. She had managed to take a few bites before noticing Cloud standing close by. "Mind if I sit here?"

"Oh...be my guest, Mr. Strife," Samus offered. Chuckling slightly, Cloud answered her, "Why so formal? You can just call me Cloud." He sat down on the seat opposite her in the booth and set his tray on the table.

"It's just...we haven't really talked much beforehand. Sorry if I came across as a bit...awkward," Samus told Cloud as he took a bite of his burger.

After swallowing his mouthful and taking a sip from his water bottle, Cloud reassured her, "No worries, we all have those days." The two ate in silence for a while, and when they were almost done eating, Cloud broke the silence and asked, "So how about those Inklings?"

Looking down for a moment in thought, Samus answered, "Master Hand made an interesting choice. I'm looking forward to seeing how they handle themselves."

"Same here," Cloud replied. Noticing Samus's somewhat depressed look, he asked her, "Is...something the matter?"

"It's just...I wish a certain someone was here to see this...someone I've known for quite a long while."

"Would it be that Captain Falcon guy?" Cloud asked. "I had heard all about him before I first came here, but Master Hand informed me that he and someone else were on a temporary leave of absence. I'd like to formally meet him some day."

"No, not him," Samus clarified. "Though...he is a close friend of mine. It's...more so somebody else, someone I knew before you arrived."

"I see," Cloud said, deciding not to inquire further. Right as the two finished, a certain witchy woman walked up to them and announced, "How's life treating you, lovelies?"

"Hey, Bayonetta," Cloud greeted the Umbran Witch. "Hi," Samus also greeted, albeit somewhat weakly.

"So, Inkling's our newest addition, and I'm sure we'll have quite some more people coming along for the ride," she began. "So without further ado, any of you two up for some sparring practice?"

"I think I'll pass," Cloud politely declined her offer. "I just wanna take it easy for today. You can ask if Samus is interested, though."

Noticing Bayonetta's gaze shifting from Cloud to her, Samus said, "...Sure, why not. I could use a distraction."

"Excellent, darling," Bayonetta chimed. As the two ladies walked off to the training grounds, Cloud called to them, "You two have fun."

...

Samus and Bayonetta's sparring match started out solid enough, with the two almost effortlessly dodging and blocking each other's attacks, but after a while, Samus started to trip up. Her attacks were missing without Bayonetta needing to dodge, and she had trouble dodging and blocking the witch's attacks.

 _What's wrong with me?! Why am I not in peak performance...?_ Samus's mind drifted. _No...get a hold of yourself, Samus!_ She then dashed toward Bayonetta and tried to lunge at her in a leaping attack, which was way off form even for Samus. Bayonetta promptly smacked Samus down to the mat with a Wicked Weave attack.

"Ngh..." Samus grunted, her ears ringing as she slowly got up and Bayonetta walked toward her. Crouching, the Umbran Witch pulled a lollipop stick out of her mouth and asked Samus, "What's the big idea? You started out great, but after a while your attacks became far too predictable, and you couldn't seem to focus on dodging or blocking. If I didn't know any better, I'd say something was weighing heavily on your mind. Or perhaps...some _one_?"

Gaining her bearings, Samus stood up and answered Bayonetta, "It's nothing you should concern yourself with."

"Doesn't seem like nothing to me," Bayonetta chided, standing up as well and tossing the lollipop stick into the trash. "Are you sure you're up to practicing like this?"

Sighing, Samus only looked at Bayonetta regretfully and said, "I'm sorry." She then slowly walked out of the training room they were in.

"And she just proved my point," Bayonetta muttered with a sigh. Within a few seconds, a young angel's voice shouted, "Hey, Samus! You around?"

Diverting her attention to Pit, Bayonetta asked him, "What brings you here, angel boy?"

Panting, Pit then caught his breath and explained, "I've been noticing Samus seeming...I guess, out of it ever since Master Hand introduced the Inklings. Cloud told me the two of you headed off to the training grounds."

"Well, you'd better hurry, Pit," Bayonetta answered. "I saw her heading out that way," she said, pointing to the right.

"Got it!" Pit said before dashing off.

"No 'thank you'?" Bayonetta scoffed. "Guess he never learned how to talk to a lady." She later shrugged and walked over to the vending machine and grabbed a bottle of iced tea.

...

After a while, Pit finally caught up to Samus in the nearby park. The storm clouds from earlier were inching closer, turning the sky gradually darker. Seeing Pit entering the park and walking close to the bench she was sitting on, Samus asked "What brings you here, Pit?"

"Well, that's a funny story and a half," Pit said, chuckling and scratching the back of his head. "After I met the Inklings, I decided to grab a bite to eat, then I ran into Cloud, who told me you'd gone training with Bayonetta and—"

"No, not that," Samus interrupted him. In an attempt to cut to the chase, she looked him in the eyes and asked, "You've noticed...haven't you?"

Immediately realizing where Samus was going with that question, Pit replied solemnly, "Yeah..." He took a seat next to her and asked, "Wanna talk about it?"

Looking up at the stormy clouds, Samus asked, "You remember Snake, right?"

"Yeah..." Pit also looked at the darkening sky above. "I miss him too."

"I think the problem is," Samus began, looking down once again, a trace of sadness in her voice. "...I miss him a bit too much. We were...close."

"I see..." Pit said. All of a sudden, he exclaimed, "Hey, I just remembered something!"

"Hmm?" Samus turned her head to meet Pit's gaze, her curiosity piqued.

"Shulk told me one day that he heard Master Hand saying he was most likely going to bring everyone back, including those that couldn't make it to the last tournament, and even before that!"

"You did?!" Samus felt a sense of hope building in her again, and she didn't want to get that hope too high, but if it meant seeing _him_ again, she was willing to hold on to it.

"I also heard some old faces may arrive at the train station today!"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Samus asked, a smile forming on her face. "Let's go!"

...

Surely enough, within a few minutes of Samus and Pit arriving at the train station, a train pulled into the tracks. The two looked on with anticipation as the doors opened.

Within a few seconds, the first familiar face emerged — Pichu, from the second Smash Bros. Tournament. It was absent from the third and fourth tournaments, so its return was quite surprising.

"Who's this?" Pit asked Samus.

"That's Pichu," Samus told him. "I'm surprised Master Hand decided to bring it back — he must have big plans for it."

Pichu ran up to Pit as two more familiar faces stepped out — Popo and Nana, the Ice Climbers.

"Popo! Nana!" Pit happily called out as the two little fighters joyously ran up to Pit and hugged him as he crouched.

"Welcome back, you two..." Samus said with a grin before looking back at the train's twin doors, hoping for one more person to step out.

But nobody else did, as the train doors closed and the train left the station as Samus's smile faded. Realizing what just happened as he looked at Samus, Pit murmured, "Oh..."

"Well, I'm...happy to see you guys again," Samus said, her voice slightly cracking as she began to walk out of the station. Pit called out to her, "Samus?"

When she turned back to face him, Pit tried to console her, "I forgot to mention, he said they wouldn't all come back all at once, and that he had to go through a lot of loopholes to try to bring Snake back. Don't worry, though, I'm sure he'll return!"

"...Thank you, Pit." Samus turned around again and solemnly walked away as Pit said to Pichu and the Ice Climbers, "C'mon guys, lemme get you guys settled in. You're gonna love Smash Tower!"

...

Samus found herself just a short distance in front of Smash Tower as the sky was now completely gray. Looking up at the bleak cloudscape, she said under her breath, "What kind of miracle will it take to see you again, Snake...?" A single raindrop fell on her face, and another, as she murmured, "I miss you...so much..." Eventually the rain started pouring down in full force, drenching Samus as tears silently streamed down her face and mixed with the rain.

Within a few seconds, she noticed something covering her from the rain — an umbrella. Thinking the mystery umbrella-bearer was either Pit, Cloud or Bayonetta, she said, "Thanks...I really do appreciate it."

"Couldn't leave you out here to catch a cold, you know," a familiar gruff-sounding male voice said. Recognizing that voice, Samus immediately turned around and saw a face she thought she'd never see again.

"Kept you waiting, huh?"

Wiping her eyes to make sure this wasn't some kind of dream or illusion, Samus asked, "Is that...really you?"

"Well, who else would I be—" Snake began, before receiving a soft blow to the chest.

"Oof!" Looking at Samus with a surprised look, he began, "That's an unexpected way to greet someone who you haven't seen in—"

"Just...wanted to make sure you were real," Samus said before immediately drawing closer to him and embracing him tightly. Snake returned the gesture by wrapping his free arm around her.

"Do you have any idea...how much I've missed you, you big dumbass?" Samus asked, trying not to cry.

"I think I have an idea," Snake replied. "And not a day has gone by that I haven't missed you so badly it ached, either." Lifting Samus's face to meet his, the two shared a brief, but passionate kiss.

Leaning her head on his shoulder and smiling, Samus said those three words she thought she would never have a chance to say.

"Welcome home, Snake."

 ** _Fin_**

* * *

 **hope you guys enjoyed! Should I write a follow up from Snake's side of the story, you think? For more context, aside from my Falconcina fic, you may wanna check out the Training Exercise fic, as well as a Snake-centric fic I wrote titled The Last Train Home. And I also apologize in advance for any inconsistencies those two may have in relation to this, it's been a while**

 **But it's good to be back. :D**


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